Cherry Blossoms
by NightmareGlitter
Summary: It's spring at the Leaf Village, which means new life and good cheer for allexcept Naruto. Will Sakura tell him what he so desperately needs to hear? SakuraxNaruto. Oneshot, RxR


-1 First Naruto fanfic...yaaaaaay! Most of my fics are about Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, but I felt sorry for Naruto 'cause he doesn't get much love from the ladies. So, even though there are a lot of Sakura-haters out there, I decided to put him with Sakura. SIGH. I always need to take care of the rejected ones. Like Chazz/Jun. They're like helpless little animals that I make my pets. Oh, well. Anyway, here it is. I hope you enjoy!

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Springtime settled in on the Hidden Leaf Village. Flowers bloomed, butterflies unfolded their dusty wings, and wispy cirrus clouds floated aimlessly across the sky. Everyone was of good cheer--that is, everyone except Naruto.

He sat on his window sill, staring up at the crystal blue sky. He knew he should be happy. In two days, the springtime festival would begin. There would be takoyaki, dumplings, and, of course, his favorite, ramen. But today, the thought of free food didn't console him. He was too lonely. It seemed as though no one in the world wanted a boy with a fox demon sealed inside of him.

Feeling dejected, he decided to take a walk. He trudged miserably through the streets, avoiding people's glances. He veered off to a grassy field, where he could be alone.

As he sat by the brook, a cherry blossom fluttered down from a nearby tree, alighting upon the water. Naruto watched as it floated downstream, and across his own reflection.

"Aww, man, why today of all days?" he whined, pouting. "I don't want to think about her. Right now, she's probably obsessing over _Sasuke_. But why him? What's so bad about me? I mean, he's gay."

He clenched his fists in agonizing frustration. "Maybe some training will get my mind off of her."

Easier said than done. Everywhere he turned, there were cherry trees in bloom. He almost wanted to chop them all down to stop the annoying memories.

Just when he thought he'd go crazy, a figure approached through the woods.

"Who's there?!" he yelled, pointing a finger at the suspicious party, "Identify yourself, or prepare to be--"

"It's just me, Naruto." Sakura said, looking peeved as she stepped into the clearing, "Man, you're dumber than I thought."  
"Awww." he flopped down on the grass, dismayed. "Oh, come on, gimme a break, Sakura. You're always so unhappy to see me."  
"Well, maybe if you stopped acting like a knucklehead, then _maybe _I just _might _be happy to see you."

She sat under one of the cherry trees, oblivious to Naruto's dejected expression.

"I wish for just once you could see what it was like," he whispered, "Just once you'd know what it felt like to be rejected so cruelly."

She looked up, surprised. "Naruto..."

"You don't get it, do you? You'll never accept that Sasuke doesn't like you. He doesn't, Ok? He doesn't want to be with you, he's not even into girls. Don't you see, Sakura? He's gay! Not to mention he joined up with Orochimaru. Why would you like somebody like that? Why not like a true ninja, one who doesn't turn on their comrades like that?"

"Are you asking me to like a certain 'future hokage?'"

"Um...anyway..."

"Naruto..." she sighed, and looked sad, "I do know what it's like. Yes, I do understand that Sasuke will never like me the way I like him. He sees me as being even worse than you. He hates me."

A cherry blossom drifted down into her lap. She smiled a little, picking it up, and nervously began to twirl it in her hands.

She continued. "I never knew the true meaning of hate. But now, I think I do. Sasuke, what he did to us, the way he turned his back on us, and the entire Leaf Village--he let us down. He didn't care, it didn't matter to him--nothing mattered to him. That's the true meaning of hate--when someone is so numb they don't care anymore."

Naruto stared at her, being, for perhaps the first time in his life, speechless. Finally, he spoke.

"So, you do understand?"

She nodded. "Yes, I do, Naruto. And I apologize for never seeing it before. But, the fact of the matter is, I don't like Sasuke. Not after what he did. The only ninja I love--"

She broke off for a second to touch his face and smile at him, "--is you. I know, it's sudden. But what I like about you is that you never give up. No matter what, you fight for what's right--and your dreams. You have a goal worth achieving. Sasuke has nothing but bitter vengeance left in his soul. There's anger and hatred where his heart used to be. Maybe, maybe, I loved the Sasuke that I always dreamed about, the Sasuke that cared about others. But that was a long time ago. Now, I see, everything that I wanted him to be, is manifested in you."

He blushed, and laughed a little. "That's sudden."

She smiled. "Not as sudden as this."

She took his face gentle in her hands and kissed him. He kissed her back, stunned but pleased.

The sunset threw rays of gold and pink streaking across the sky, as though in a painting. The gentle spring breeze played gently with their hair and the trees, blowing leaves and blossoms everywhere. They shared their first kiss forever that day under the gentle snow of cherry blossom petals.

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I know that was short, but as I said, I'm more into Yu-Gi-Oh! GX. Anyway, I hope you liked it! Please RxR : )


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